Problems with $6 billion worth of State Dept. contracts

A government investigation has found that the State Department has incomplete files or is missing files for more than $6 billion in contracts over the last six years.

In one case involving State Department operations in Iraq, officials couldn’t provide 33 of the 115 contract files requested. Those missing files were for contracts worth $2.1 billion.

A State Department spokeswoman, Marie Harf, says that the $6 billion hasn’t gone missing and calls it a “bureaucratic issue” that’s being addressed.

The report by the State Department’s Office of Inspector General recommends establishing a centralized system for maintaining, tracking and retaining files. Other recommendations include random checks of contract files and holding accountable those responsible for maintaining files.

The report is dated March 24 but was released to the public on Thursday.

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2 Responses to Problems with $6 billion worth of State Dept. contracts

When the Pentagon “lost” $2 trillion early in the 2000s, the official explanation was that it was merely an accounting issue, that it wasn’t “lost” but “not tracked”. Maybe they ought to pull that same rabbit out of their hat now . . .